Gov. Jindal Invites Pres. Obama to Louisiana to Meet with Parents in Louisiana Scholarship Program

BATON ROUGE – In a
letter sent today, Governor Bobby Jindal invited President Barack Obama to
Louisiana to meet with parents participating in the Louisiana Scholarship
Program to explain why the U.S. Department of Justice is trying to force
children back into failing schools.

In the letter to President Obama, Governor Jindal writes,
“To date, your Administration has been virtually silent on this matter, perhaps
hoping that it will just go away. It will not go away, and the dreams of
thousands of children will not simply fade away.

“I would like to invite you and Attorney General Holder to
come to Louisiana to join me for a day at one of our schools that accepts
Scholarship Program students. I am sure you would agree that it is
critical to sit down with parents and students who are enrolled in the program
to discuss their experiences at the new schools and how it compares to the
experiences at their previous failing schools.

“I think it is only right that you and Attorney General
Holder join me and come visit a scholarship school in Louisiana to look into
the faces of the parents and kids and try to explain to them why you want to
force them back into failing schools.”

Full Letter Below

The President

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C.
20500
September 30, 2013

Dear President Obama,

As you know, on August 22, 2013, your Department
of Justice filed a motion in federal court attempting to force Louisiana
parents who have children enrolled or wishing to enroll in the Louisiana
Scholarship Program to receive authorization from the federal courts before
joining the program for the 2014-2015 school year. As you are aware, if
this suit were successful, it would effectively force thousands of low-income
and mostly minority families to keep their children trapped in failing schools.

Ironically, this suit was first announced at the
time of the 50year anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have
a Dream” speech in Washington. The people of Louisiana do not understand
how ripping low-income minority students out of good schools helps them achieve
their dreams. Even more ironic, your Department of Justice is attempting to use
old rules designed to prevent discrimination against minority children to try
and keep these children trapped in failing schools.

To date, your Administration has been virtually
silent on this matter, perhaps hoping that it will just go away. It will
not go away, and the dreams of thousands of children will not simply fade away.

I would like to invite you and Attorney General
Holder to come to Louisiana to join me for a day at one of our schools that
accepts Scholarship Program students. I am sure you would agree that it
is critical to sit down with parents and students who are enrolled in the
program to discuss their experiences at the new schools and how it compares to
the experiences at their previous failing schools. I believe if you and the
Attorney General are able to hear firsthand from parents about the experiences
their children are having in the program, then you will reconsider the suit
filed by the Department of Justice

In Louisiana, we have worked very hard to improve
our public school system. During my tenure as Governor, we have increased
spending on K-12 education by over 12 percent despite a reduction in our total
state budget over the same period. We have also instituted reforms
to demand excellence from public school teachers and administrators, and we
have removed the cap on the number of charter schools allowed to operate in
Louisiana.

We know our reforms are working. High school
graduation rates have hit an all-time high, Louisiana is a national leader in
student improvement at charter schools, and student performance is up at K-12
public schools statewide. Furthermore, average public school teacher
salaries in Louisiana have increased by more than $2,000 over the past five
years.

However, it takes time to fix some of our failing
public schools that have been in disrepair for far too long – time that our
children do not have. Our children only grow up once and every single
child, no matter race or income level, deserves an equal opportunity to get a
great education. That is why we started the Louisiana Scholarship Program
that gives kids a chance to escape failing public schools and have an
opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

I think it is only right that you and Attorney
General Holder join me and come visit a scholarship school in Louisiana to look
into the faces of the parents and kids and try to explain to them why you want
to force them back into failing schools.

Finally Mr. President, I would respectfully remind
you of your own comments about what a great education means to our children. In
the 2010 State of the Union address you said, “the best anti-poverty program
around is a world-class education…And in this country, the success of our
children cannot depend more on where they live than on their potential.”

I agree with you Mr. President, and that is why
the actions of the Department of Justice, which contradict and undermine the
vision you described, are so frustrating.

I look forward to your response. The parents and
children participating in the program deserve to have their voices heard.